Jumble

This has been a very tiring week. Work , personal finances, lack of sleep, emotional stuff...yeah, I'm pretty tired.

I could write about it all: new babies and old friends and my health worries, trying to keep afloat without feeling resentful, animals that think 5:30 am is a normal time of day to wake up...each of those could be a blog post, but I just don't have the energy.

Knitting hasn't been going well either. I took a course in toe-up socks at All Strung Out, taught by JohannaB that was awesome...but I didn't measure properly and my socks are too big for my feet. I have been working on the February Lady sweater since November. I picked up the stitches for the last sleeve on Saturday, and knit it inside out for an inch and a half. I bound off the wrong edge of a baby sweater. Lots of knitting fail.

So here are good things:

I passed my Canadian Firearms Safety Course (Unrestricted) last weekend with 100% on both the written and practical tests, and the new knowledge took something I was doing to make other people happy and turned it into something I'm actually excited about.

We can pay some major bills this week, since the severance pay finally came in. Also, I can get a hair cut, and hopefully squirrel away a little walking around cash for the Knitter's Frolic at the end of the month.

Tonight is knit night. Tomorrow is sleeping in (animals be damned) and Replacement Tea. The BlackBerry is staying at home for both events.

We have a roof, and running water, and food, and I am mostly healthy (my new, awesome doctor is helping with the health part), and my cats and dog love me unconditionally.

I have awesome friends at home, at work, and living in my computer.

Finally, I am running a constant soundtrack of feel-good music between blip.fm and my iPod. Music makes my world go around, yes it does.

Nevermind the groundhog

On my way home from work last night I saw one of my personal notifiers that Spring is on the way.

Buckets.

Specifically, maple syrup buckets.

I have fond memories of going out to the sugar bush on March break and watching the sap get turned into maple syrup. The people doing the demonstration would always drip a bit of the hot maple sugar onto some clean snow so that it would harden. There is nothing quite as awesome as fresh maple sugar candy.

Impromptu Poetry

Leone tagged me to do some impromptu poetry. Her's rhymes. Mine doesn't.


Cat

I fell in love with you after we broke up;
After you decided
(and rightly so)
That you deserved more in a girlfriend
Than a bi-chick who was already
Mostly committed to her boyfriend
And two cats.

I enjoyed our nights while we were a couple.
Our Portishead underscored lovemaking;
Waiting for your roommate and her girlfriend
To slam into or out of your apartment.
I looked forward to making out in our tiny kitchens
While we waited for the tea to brew.
I relished your scent,
(Body Shop, Second Cup and Pope Joan)
But it was none of these things that made me fall for you.

It was later, when we were friends.
It was our Tuesday teas
(What is it with me and Tuesday?)
When we talked in a way we hadn't when we were focused on
Each others bodies.
When you told me about the women you dated after me,
And the ways in which they wronged you,
And I wanted to hurt them, but you said,
"No".

It was later again, after I married, then left the boyfriend,
(But kept the cats)
And you moved across the ocean
That I missed you most;
That I realized your importance to me,
And that you found my phone number in a pile of papers;
That I finally felt settled in my skin.

I'm not big on the whole tagging thing, but I think there should be more poetry in the world, so I'd like tigerleo, semicrunchymom and noirbettie to give this a shot. Also if you like to read poetry, please go check out Natalie Smith's poetry, but bring some tissues, 'cause she's goooood.

That's the book!

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to remember a book in which children run away and live in a museum.

Today, someone posted a clip from Clue on Ravelry, which prompted me to look up Madeline Kahn's filmography, and then follow from there to the entry on Wikipedia about the book:
"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler".

Must remember to see if the Guelph library has a copy.

Introducing...Sheldon!

No, we didn't get another live animal. In fact, this one won't even be staying at our house; he's a gift for a co-worker.

I knit him out of Briggs and Little wool that I bought at my local yarn store All Strung Out.


He's knit in pieces (8 total by the time you count all the legs), then stuffed and seamed. This was my first time trying an applied i-cord - much thanks to Ashley for the instruction!


The best part about Sheldon is that, much like wee little puppet man Angel, his shell comes off.

Random Thoughts

I get that all those celebrity women do that weird cross-legged standing thing in photos because it's supposed to make them look thinner, but it just makes me think that they all need to use the potty.

Awesome blog: Clonehenge. It's all about replicas of Stonehenge, made in mediums ranging from silver to bacon. Seriously.

Can we just leave Rihanna alone? Please? Yes, I understand that by mentioning her, I am flying in the face of my own request. Still. Please?

See above point for Nadya Suleyman as well.

In fact, can we stop ridiculing and belittleing women for their choices and blaming them for being victimized, and try to be supportive of each other?

I'm re-reading "The Bitch in the House" by Cathi Hanauer. Sometimes it's good to read stuff that feels like it comes from inside my head.

Tonight I will buy this yarn, in order to knit this pattern for myself. Love!

I currently have a pair of socks, a turtle and a sweater on the needles (no photo yet of the sock, since it's not much more than a cuff at this point).

Coworker gave me a bag of Second Cup's blueberry tea. Heaven!

I have updated my Flickr to a Pro account, and added Google Analytics to my blog. This will either galvanize me into posting more, or paralyze me into posting less. I'm aiming for the former.

Even though the word "assistant" appears in my title, that doesn't mean that I am your assistant.

Tazo's Passion tea is also awesome.

This

This poem, this writing, this begins to say for me what I haven't been able to say for myself.

Round

If I write more now, I'll wind up in tears at my desk, but that poem at Ampersand, it's a start.

Circular Motion

Then: I was feeling trapped in a job with no immediate career path out of it, with little to no direct supervision or direction from my boss, trying desperately to get rid of my company laptop, thinking that the only long term solution would be to pursue a Certified Associate in Project Management or Project Management Professional designation and move into the Project Management field, but not feeling overly excited about it.

Now: I am doing a job that I mostly love, although it has no immediate career path out of it. My supervisor sits in an entirely different building, so I talk to her every couple of weeks or so, and get very little direction from her. However, when I do get a chance to talk to her, she's awesomely supportive, and freaking hilarious. I have just requested and received a company laptop, so that if it snows like crazy, I can still get my work done instead of calling it a day and going back to bed. Finally, I have just been approved to take an intro to Project Management course, 'cause I think that's the career direction I want to go in.

It's interesting how sometimes the more things stay the same, the more they change.

'Cause it's the thing to do

Good things

My friend's brother is out of ICU, and is now in Stepdown. He's on some blood thinners, and will likely be released from the hospital on Saturday. The doctors think that a large clot formed at the site of his recently badly broken leg (like, he's got pins and stuff in it bad), and smaller clots broke off of that clot and travelled to his lungs. It was a wake up call for many of us that we need to get healthier; while his weight and smoking weren't the primary causes, they sure didn't help. Also, they used clotbusters to help break up the main clot, and his mom has already said that she's making a t-shirt for him that says "Who ya gonna call? Clotbusters!" That whole family has a wonderful sense of humour. I told my friend that I'd mentioned her brother here, and she said to say thank you to anyone who sent good stuff their way.

*******

Recent conversation at my house:

Him: I'm thinking I'd like to try going to school instead of going straight back into the work force.

Me: Ok, cool. What kind of a career are you thinking about?

Him: Well, I'd like to do something that isn't dirty, and doesn't hurt my knees.

Me: Um. I think you need to get a little more specific than that.

Him: I could be a nine to five desk asshole!

Me: Well, you've got the asshole part down*, now all you need is a desk.

*Please note that this is said with much love. Learning to live together again is going to be interesting though.

*******

Tonight is knit night at my LYS, and I am ready to drop some stitches on my Clapotis! Woo!

*******

The weather is crazy cold here (-26 C, I know it's -53 C in Regina, but I'm not there!), which is normally a little cranky making, but the sun rose today, and it was beautiful to see it shining off the snow. I love the sound of sqeaky snow, and the crisp smell of morning. Also, it was very cool to see steam rising of a river this morning because the water is actually warmer than the air.

Maybe he really is serious!

In addition to the pro-life preacher who will be giving an address at Barack Obama's inauguration, there will be a LGBT band playing in the parade prior to the ceremony, along with the usual military bands and other groups.

He's also set up a meeting with a group of women so that he can listen to their personal stories about abortion, and has said that he's going to repeal the don't ask - don't tell rule for the US military.

Hopefully he won't be hobbled by the rest of the American political system, and he really will be able to bridge gaps and bring about that change of which he speaks so eloquently.

*fingers crossed*

Light a candle, say a prayer

This year was going along swimmingly: I learned to drop spindle, I got to visit with my cousin from B.C., we finished paying off a loan.

Then, wham, bam, not even a thank you ma'am, in the past 24 hours a friend's beloved kitty has died, another friend's brother has wound up in ICU with a blood clot in his lung, and my husband has been laid off.

So light a candle, say a prayer, stand on your head...do whatever it is you do to send out good vibes to anyone you know who needs 'em.

Early Resolution

I have been thinking a lot recently about what makes me happy. What external things, what about myself, what activities make me truly happy.

I've got a pretty good list put together, and I've noticed a common thread: mostly, I really like to connect with people. Obviously, I mean people I like, not crankypants people at the mall. Not so obviously, "people I like" doesn't neccessarily mean "people I know" or "people I get to spend a lot of time with". Sometimes "people I like" also means "I like you in small doses, say for an evening", or "you live in my computer, so we can't go have a coffee, but I like you anyway". This also means that I have been thinking that people I don't like so much, I should maybe avoid.

Where I fall down on this (and on just about anything else I decide I want to do that will make me happy) is that I skew towards the lazy. It's easier for me to sit on my couch and knit and watch tv than it is to do just about anything else (this is why my kitchen isn't nearly as clean as it could be). I also have a tendency to get over excited about things and book myself way too much to do, and then wind up all burnt out, sitting on the couch, knitting.

So, I am starting small. I am sending Christmas cards (and now that I've said it in public I have to do it) and some emails. Once the crazyness passes in two weeks, I'm going to visit some people who aren't too far away, and spend some time at my local yarn shop. Then, late January/early February, I'm going to cram a whole bunch of visiting into one weekend. I know that I'll keep my momentum until about March. I just have to remember that I like spending time with people, and that while my couch is also nice, people have a tendency to move far away, and my couch ain't going anywhere.

Something came over me last week.

I reached out to two people that I typically only have contact with when it is absolutley neccessary.

This resulted in a good phone conversation and a lovely Saturday morning.

There's something to be said for the spirit of this season.

My Artsy Pet pursuits: Everybody, forward this to Mr. Harper!

My Artsy Pet pursuits: Everybody, forward this to Mr. Harper!

Reposting Johanna B.'s post.

It's important.

And just in case you missed her post from Monday:
http://artsandcats.blogspot.com/2008/12/okay-everybody-back-to-your-civics.html

ETA link to a published letter from the leaders of the coalition:
http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/Ottawa/081201_opposition_letter.pdf

Good article from the CBC explaining the Governer General's role:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/12/02/f-governor-general.html

It's December!

First things first: we've got some pretty interesting stuff going on politically in Canada right now, that could see a change from our current newly re-elected government, to a coalition government.

My friend J over at My Artsy Pet Pursuits explains it far better than I could, so go take a look.

Moving right along!

It's December. Twenty-three sleeps until Christmas morning. This means that I put up our decorations on Sunday. Usually, I wait (at my husband's request) until after December actually starts, but this year I jumped the gun by a day.

We now have Santas (the one on the left was made by my aunt):

Stockings with elf clothes hung up over top of them:

And a tree with colour changing lights on it:

We do have a much larger tree usually, but it takes up most of the living room and, more importantly, blocks the back door, which would mean that Roo couldn't get out into the back yard. Last year I was cranky and didn't decorate for Christmas, so it wasn't an issue, but this year I needed a fix, so we hit a local big box store and picked up this little guy for $20. I can only fit half of my decorations on it, so I chose the most important ones and made sure that they reflected both of us and our history together, as well as before we met.

Every year I give Fred an ornament. This is one I made for him our first year together:

Our second year together (yes, that is a black christmas ball):

Around the back of the tree, there is also a Millenium Falcon, and an X-wing Fighter:

I have enough angel ornaments of different kinds (cloth, wood, glass, ceramic, hand made, plastic, you name it!) to do a whole tree in just angels:

Finally, I have started my Christmas knitting:

Taste of Love

Fred's birthday was on Monday, and he requested a chocolate cake. I didn't get around to making it until yesterday, but I did get it done.

Happy belated birthday, baby!

Theo

We brought Theo home Sunday afternoon.

I would like to show you a photo of her, but I don't have one because she won't come out from under the armchair in the sewing room. She's eating and going to the bathroom though, so I'm not worried. It just means that there is a delay in adding chaos to the rest of the house, and that I will spend more time in the sewing room so that she gets used to me.

The other cats are quite put out that they aren't allowed in that room anymore. It gets the best afternoon sunlight, and has lots of yarn to roll around in. They've been digging at the carpet outside the door, completely ruining what what already only mostly ruined.

Oh well, we we're going to get our security deposit back anyway.

November Morning Commute in Southwestern Ontario

Low clouds the colour of cream of mushroom soup leak flurries to add to the blanket of the first snow that already covers the fields on either side of the two-lane highway I drive twice daily.

Evergreen trees carry a mantle of soft whiteness, while the branches of the leafless trees are limned in silver, a few stray red leaves turned into a pink candyfloss confection.

I chat with a stranger as we fill our tanks, discussing winter jackets, the price of gas in the '80's (playing a game of "I remember when" one-upmanship), and whether the switch from imperial to metric was a government conspiracy (him: yes, me: no).

A different stranger, a lovely blonde woman, stops me just outside the parking lot: I have forgotten to replace my gas cap, and she has fixed it for me.

I get to work late, but safe, thanks to my four new tires, and schlepp my stuff to my desk, including my shoes in a bag, because it is November in Southwestern Ontario, and time to wear winter boots.

Anarchy, that I run!

This Sunday we will be expanding our family again.

People with more than two children have said to me that they suppose multiple animals are like multiple kids: the jump from one to two is a huge change, but after that, it's a relatively small one. When you've already got four cats and a dog, what's one more kitty?

The last time we did this, about a year ago, Roo, an elderly Shepherd-Husky cross moved in with us. The time before that, just over two years ago, we brought home Zoe, a little black girl kitty, who turned out to be a boy.

On Sunday we will be bringing Theo home. She is an 8-year old, front-declawed, grey and white kitty, with a boy's name. This balances out the boy cat with a girl name thing quite nicely. Since she is about the same age as Sabre and Callie, I am hoping that they will get along. The hierarchy in our house has been out of whack since we go Zoe, so really, it's anyone's game.

We do know for certain that neither Fred nor I are actually in charge of anything. You know what they say: Dogs have owners, cats have staff. Of course, our dog thinks she's a cat.

I'll have photos of the new member of management once she arrives and has a couple of days to settle in.